DIVE IN: Brahms & Dvořák

Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony is the most unique of his total of nine. Dvořák said he wanted to give it “individual force worked out in a new way”. Indeed, it is the least Beethovinian (especially when compared to his Ninth Symphony, which almost seems to directly quote Beethoven in its Scherzo movement) and instead draws on the Slavic side of his personality. Joyous and optimistic, the Symphony seems to dance in its waltz-like third movement, and its finale intersperses noble themes with trumpet fanfares and boisterous dancing. In the words of conductor Rafael Kubelik: “in Bohemia the trumpets never call to battle – they always call to the dance!”.

The Double Concerto is Brahms’s final work for orchestra. It was composed for his friend, the great violinist Joseph Joachim, to whom the work is dedicated, and the cellist Robert Haussmann. Clara Schumann, one of his closest friends and supporters, was not a fan of the concerto, but it has since become a staple of the concerto repertoire, showcasing two string soloists who are required to be equally virtuosic.